


Reading Between the Lines

by ThatGoblin



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Blood Magic, Demons, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Magic, Mentions of Cults, Multi, Mystery, Non-Graphic Violence, Polyamory, Romance, Self-Harm, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Werewolf Rhett, adult halloween town, chinstrap rhett, fae omc, more tags to come as stuff happens, much older link, psychic ofc, some blood magic, vampire link, witch ofc, young rhett
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:54:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23925727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatGoblin/pseuds/ThatGoblin
Summary: Belleplain, NC. It's the usual small town in the south. It has its local businesses and schools and residents that just seem a bit odd. Rowan Finely owns one of the local businesses, a book store, where a local mechanic named Rhett visits her every week for the past two months. She thinks he's cute, but he's got a boyfriend. He couldn't like her more than a friend, right? Some magic and hijinks and friendships and, yes, even some romance blossoms as an apocalyptic event is gathering to wipe out their town with just Rowan, Rhett, and their friends standing in the way of certain doom.
Relationships: Link Neal/Original Female Character(s), Link Neal/Original Male Character(s), Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

“Ro!” Corrine hissed at me, her head sticking out from the curtains that kept my office and the rest of the store divided. I looked up from behind large, wire rimmed glasses at my bookstore manager. “Your Bo is in the store again!” 

“Don’t call him my Bo,” I said with a huff as I stood up. “He’s just a guy that comes in a lot and is always getting mechanic and car books.”

“And always buys your picks for history and general literature,” Corrine said, raising a well drawn purple brow. 

“Not the point,” I said, taking my glasses off as I pushed away from my desk. “Point is, he is a nice man with a boyfriend. That just wants to expand his reading.”

“You never know,” Corrine said, toying with her long purple braid. I shook my head as I came out from doing orders for my bookstore, Read Between the Lines. It was once again a drizzly, cool day in Belleplain, North Carolina. We were the Bermuda Triangle of weather for the eastern seaboard. Really, we were the Bermuda Triangle of everything for the eastern seaboard. 

Belleplain was one of those odd towns that seem to be out of a fairytale. The weather was always off from what the weatherman said, the people were very open about their ties to Greek cults, and I was pretty sure we had a lake monster. That is not including the fact that we had many witches, creatures, and ethereal beings that loved to live there. I was one of those witches. 

I had moved to Belleplain just a year ago to take over my grandmother’s bookstore when she decided to go see and stay with family in Ireland. That stay turned into moving there and I was in charge of the bookstore for good. Everything was signed over to me and I thankfully did not run it into the ground. That being said, I still had not made many connections outside of the bookstore. Corrine was a local psychic in her late 30’s and was like an older sister to me. She wasn’t very good at seeing the future, but on occasion did get it right. Usually when she wasn’t trying. She was also my store manager. 

We had a few other part time employees that helped restock and clean, but it was a small ship and I liked it like that. The store was filled with books of all sorts, no wall space was available as we had put shelves on it and stacked books on them. It wasn’t only witchcraft books that we sold either, like the mechanic and car books that the man frequently bought as well as the history of countries and people, how to do taxes, even computer guides. Anything that could be wanted we had. 

“He’s got a book on meditation and aligning chakras,” Corrine said, leaning over the counter in the near empty shop. The man in question was Rhett McLaughlin. He was a mechanic down the street at the Comet Body and Auto shop that had started to come in very frequently for the last two months. With Belleplain being a more small town, tight knit community of the supernaturals, everyone at least knew each other’s names and family. While he could have been a lizard person, my third cousin was, it didn’t really matter as most of the time everyone kept that part of their lives to themselves.

The stray average human would come through town here and there, but they never stayed long. It was part of the magic of the town. Unless you were looking for it, you barely knew it was there. Rhett may have been just your average Joe human, I wasn’t going to put my nose in his business. A lot of the townspeople weren’t from the town itself as it was kind of a safe zone for those of us who wanted to be around others like ourselves and feel safe. In that safety, it meant if you didn’t want to show what you were other than your human face, no one would judge you or push. 

“I have a really good feeling about today,” Corrine said with a grin. She was way too peppy for something that had a 99% chance of not happening. “He’s also wearing tight jeans today.” I held back from rolling my eyes, because if I had I would have looked possessed from how hard they flew into the back of my head. 

“Corrine, don’t you have manager things to do?” I asked as I checked the time and began to do shut down tasks. It had been a slow night, a week before the full moon. Everyone was busy getting things in order. Lycans getting ready to lock down for the night, witches getting ready for ceremonies and summonings, offerings had to be ready for the fae as well. It happened every full moon so we usually closed early the week before so we didn’t lose much business. 

“I could,” she said as she turned on her stiletto boot heel, swishing her pleated mini skirt before she walked away. I was getting ready to start turning the lights off when she rushed back over. “He’s gonna compliment your new hair.” Then she was off again. It wouldn’t be that odd. I had changed the color recently since I’d last seen Rhett. My chin length hair used to be a honey brown that hung in loose curls, which was my natural color, but I had figured out a transformation spell to change the color without actually dying it. I had turned it into a light steel color with black roots. It had taken me three hours to get the color just right and keep my loose curls, but I was very pleased with the outcome. 

“Howdy, Rowan.” The familiar baritone voice drew my attention from the closing checklist. There stood Rhett still in his work shirt covered in grease and grime, but his hands and arms were washed. His hair seemed to always be in place while his chinstrap gave his face a strong shape.

“Hey Rhett,” I said with a smile. “How’s it going today for you?” I asked, leaning against the counter. 

“Oh, it’s the usual. Old Harry down on Valleymill Road wrecked his pick up trying to chase down a golden fawn. Poor bastard just doesn’t know not to go after them,” Rhett said with a chuckle as he placed his books on the counter. 

“Good grief, you think he would have learned by now,” I said with a snort as I took the books to ring him up. “Especially with the full moon coming up. Diana will strike him down if he’s not careful.”

“I don’t think he cares too much anymore,” Rhett said. “Seems to be on the last leg of that immortality curse he has going.”

“Hopefully he’ll figure that out quickly.” I looked over the books and they were indeed about meditation and aligning chakras. “Trying to sort yourself out?” I asked. “Seems about time you did before Link gets a hold of you and rings your neck for not going to the chiropractor.” 

“How can you tell?” He asked with narrowed eyes.

“Your gate,” I said with a smile. “You’ve got a hitch in your giddy up.”

“So you’re watching me walk around then?” Rhett said with a smirk.

“Because you’re the last one in the store and it’s almost closing time,” I said with a snort. “Total is $23.90.” 

“Your hair looks nice,” he said as he pulled out his wallet and handed me the money. “You do that recently? Could have sworn that it was a blondish brown last time I was in.”

“Yeah, I did it last night. Took me a while, but I got how I wanted it. Thanks for noticing,” I said as I took the money and got his change for him. 

“You’re welcome,” he said with a smile. “You doing anything tomorrow night?”

“Tomorrow night? Um, I don’t think so, why?” I asked, bagging his books.

“Well I figured we could maybe go to a movie. There’s a new horror movie playing and Link hates them,” Rhett said, leaning against the counter. 

“That’s funny considering where he lives, but sure I’d love to go with you,” I said with giggle.

“I know right?” He said. “So, I’ll swing by and pick you up by 7 PM? That give you enough time to get ready?”

“Yeah, sure, that sounds cool,” I said with a nod. “Here, let me get you my number.” I pulled out my phone as he did as well. Quickly we exchanged numbers so he could text me when he was there. 

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said with a smile. Taking his bag, he gave me a wave as he walked out the door. I waited till he was gone before I locked the doors for the night. 

“I was right!” Corrine squealed from the back of the store. 

“Barely,” I said with a snort. 

“He asked you out on a date too!” She cried as she rushed to the front of the store. 

“It’s not a date, it’s to go see a movie as friends,” I said, moving to finish up closing even if she wasn’t. 

“He didn’t say as friends,” she said, pointing it out.

“He didn’t say as a date either,” I said, beginning to count the till. “He has a boyfriend and while yes, he is attractive, I’m not gonna be that person who tears a couple apart. Well, aid in it at least cause it takes two to tango.”

“I know, but what if Link says it’s okay to date you?” She said, pushing the issue more and more. 

“Except they don’t swing and he probably didn’t. We’re going as friends and that’s it. I won’t allow anything else to happen,” I said. “Besides, I don’t really know him outside of the bookstore. He’s hot, but that’s easy to hide behind.”

“Let me do a tarot reading for you, we’ll see what the cards have to say,” Corrine said, grabbing the broom and dustpan from the closet to start sweeping. 

“No, no no no,” I said, looking at her wide eyed. “Last time you gave me a reading, you predicted that I needed to rearrange my apartment to avoid and leak, so I did. Then the leak happened and it ruined my mattress. I had to spend nearly $600 to replace that thing and fix the leak.” 

“That was one time,” she said, waving me off.

“There was also when you read my cards and told me to invest in a new soda company. I lost $1,000 in the stock market before I was able to get out of there,” I said, staring her down. 

“Third time’s the charm?” She asked. 

“No! No more tarot cards till you actually practice them and don’t end up cursing my life!” I cried. 

“Okay, fine, jeez,” Corrine said. That was the end of it for the night. We closed up shop before going home. For me, that was unlocking a door in the back that led to stairs to my apartment above the bookstore. It was as big as the bookstore was below, in an open area. There were no walls, so I had to make do with putting a folding room divider around the bathroom area which was a clawed foot tub, toilet, and sink. 

My bed sat with the head to a wall across the room from the door, made with old blankets my grandmother had left me that were covered in protection spells. The walls separating me and the outside were wide and plenty, allowing me to place my array of plants around to hang or stand by them. In the opposite corner of the bathroom was my kitchen. A simple sink and counter with a fridge from the 50’s as well as a gas stove. A small kitchen table sat nearby for my breakfasts and dinners. 

In the corner to the right of my bed, as the toilet was to the left, sat my own study of sorts. There was a large desk with scissors and knives and plant specimens that I used in spells. While my grandmother was more of a charm witch, creating everyday items and imbibing them with magic to do certain tasks for her such as my protection blankets, I was more of a green witch. I worked with plants in all sorts of ways to create what I needed. Like my hair. I used plant magic to transform my hair into a different color entirely. It certainly saved on damaging my hair because if I had wanted the hair color I wanted, it would have been hours of bleaching before even dying it.

With work out of the way for the day, I changed out of my pants and the bulky sweater I had on before I threw my bra across the room. I sighed in relief as I walked to my dresser next to my bed to dig out clothes. Baggy sweatpants and a, what was almost a dress on me it was so big, shirt were my choices for the night. After I tossed laundry into the hamper, I went to the kitchen to fix dinner. There were left overs of pizza with my name on it. As I heated them up, a toy car rolled to me from across the room. 

“Oh, well, hello there,” I said, bending over to pick it up to put it on the counter. “Do you think you need some pizza too?” I asked it, receiving a tiny honk from the car. “Aww, you know you can’t have food, silly Jack.”

Jack was the ghost in my apartment. He’d been there since I moved in and even when my grandmother was here. We weren’t sure how or when he died or why he was still there, but we managed to get out that his name was Jack and he didn’t want to leave. He wasn’t a pest, almost like having a cat really, so I let him stay. 

“Do you want some lemon water?” I asked, getting a honk to that. “Alright then, you can have some lemon water.” Putting the kettle on to boil, I set out a tea cup with a slice of lemon in it. I wasn’t sure what he did with it or how he did it, but while he couldn’t eat, the lemon water disappeared over a few hours. I wasn’t a hedge witch, someone who deals with the dead, but it wasn’t hurting anything so I let him have it every night. “Now, I have plans tomorrow night, so I’m going to be home late. I’ll still make your lemon water for you when I get home, but no tantrums or no lemon water. I know it’s what you like, but I like to go out and have fun with my friends too.”

There were a few moments of quiet before he gave me a tiny honk. He was usually just happy to be around someone, but he did get needy at times. Going back to my food, I checked the pizza before putting it in for another round in the microwave. Then I moved on to getting jars of water set up in the windows by my bed. I usually had plenty of moon infused water, but I was running low and with the full moon coming up it would be a good time to get all that I could. I used it for brewing tea before bed to help with the insomnia I got most nights if I didn’t. It was a simple spell my grandmother taught me. 

She was a charm witch. Which was why it always confused everyone in our family that my mother had become a blood witch with my father. They had met one Spring Equinox in the 80’s. My father, Victor, was the leader of a coven of blood witches and while my mother, Fiona, was in her family’s coven of green and eclectic witches, she was won over by his charm. She was only 20, barely getting her own craft when she joined him. He had invited her to the Spring Equinox celebration of his coven to introduce her to them. It had meant to be just a look into their practices, but Victor persuaded her to join them that night.

The promise of eternal youth, to always be by his side, and travel the world were enough promises to have her commit. Except he didn’t tell her about his other ‘wives’ in the group. After she had promised her life to the coven, it was too late. While her family disagreed with her choice, fearing for her safety with someone like Victor, they didn’t disown her. Which was saying a lot as most coven families did that. When Fiona found out she was pregnant with me and he was wanting to add another member to the coven, she was over the facade he had made for her. With the rest of the ‘wives’ who felt the same way, they went against him. They put their foot down and took his eternal youth. 

Through years of continually taking and using up women, he had kept his looks and health. They took that essence and gave it to one another. So while my father did look more his age, my mother was still a vibrant, happy 20 year old. At least physically. This was all what my mother had told me. I assumed there were more, unpleasant details, so I didn’t mind the toned down version. I had seen my father throughout the years, but I never stayed with him or was alone with him. It started out as him showing up to ‘see me.’ Which my mother put an end to when she shot him with a shotgun full of salt. 

Then he took more decent routes of phone calls and mail. It would always go back to trying to lure my mother back into his clutches as he bounced me on his knee or as I put bright pink eyeshadow on his eyes. When I hit my teens, he didn’t come around as much. Mom said it was because she didn’t want to listen to his same spiel every time, but I had a feeling it was mostly because his once sweet daughter had hit puberty and was not dealing with it well. Either way, he still sent cards on my birthday and holidays. I never really cared for his approval or felt the need to see him or be loved by him. My mother made up for it threefold and that was enough for me. 

The tea kettle whistled, letting me know the water was ready for Jack’s lemon. I poured it into his cup and watched the lemon slice float to the top before slowly going to the bottom again. 

“There you go honey,” I said, using the rest of the water to brew my nightly tea. Chamomile and lavender was my usual with a spoon full of honey and a spoon full of moon water. Once everything was done for the moment, I took my pizza to the table to eat. 

I was zoning out as I got a text on my phone. Picking it up from the table, I looked to see it was Rhett. He’d sent me a picture of two tickets to see the movie the next day. A quick emoji of heart eyes was sent back. It was going to be fun going to see a movie. It had been a while, maybe three or four months or so. I usually went with Corrine, but she didn’t like horror movies. I, on the other hand, loved them. It was always so cheesy and seeing the scary witch flicks were extra funny for me. Some witches found it offensive, but I always found myself laughing more than being scared. Granted, I was the typical horror movie lover with my gothic/’witchy’ fashion style, but it was still fun to have something to do.

I knew it was just as friends, despite Corrine’s insisting, but I had recently been finding myself wanting to find someone to date. It had been two years since my last partner and the thought of just having that one person with you that was always there for you or on your side in things just sounded nice to have. Relationships were more than that, but I missed the companionship. I also missed sex. I missed that a lot.

It couldn’t be Rhett though. Even if he wanted to date me, he’d have to break up with Link to do so because I was not a side piece. 

A ping from my phone drew my attention again. Rhett had sent back a finger gun gif. I snorted and shook my head as I texted back. 

‘Hold up there cowboy, we don’t take kindly to finger guns in this here part of town.’ It was lame, but I wanted to be funny. Sending it, I was relaxing more now that we started to really talk. As in out of the bookstore and not about books. I loved books, don’t get me wrong, but knowing we could talk about other things was a relief. 

‘Well then, you’re just gonna have to take me downtown.’ He sent back, with a devil emoji. 

‘Fine then. Sheriff's gotta do what a sheriff’s gotta do.’ I sent with a gif of someone launching from a cannon.

‘I know not to cross you now.’ Rhett texted.

‘Should have from the beginning. I can be pretty intimidating.’ I texted.

‘I know how that feels. People often ask if I’m related to Godzilla and then run in fear as I breathe fire.’ He messaged.

‘Those poor villagers. Count yourself lucky they’re not using you as a weapon of war.’ I messaged back.

‘It is a hard life hiding my true talents. Lol.’ We kept texting for a while, a couple of hours really before I realized what time it was. I was laughing so hard at his jokes I had lost track of time. Before I knew it it was 10 PM and if I wanted to get some sleep I’d need to get to bed soon. I bid him a good night and in turn received a wave and kiss emoji. Just a kiss goodnight between friends. Maybe he was just comfortable with me now. I mean, Corrine and I hugged and kissed on one another once we became good friends, maybe he was the same and just expressed his love for his friends that way. That had to be it. Either way, I made my tea for the night then took it to bed. Jack drove his car off the counter, let it tumble, then drove it underneath my bed. 

With my night having gone fairly well, I turned in for the night, excited for the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the date/not date night!

“Is that what you’re wearing tonight?” Corrine asked as she looked me up and down once she arrived at the store the next morning. 

“It is,” I said, getting the register ready. I had just thrown on some long shorts with a black tee and sneakers. I hadn’t really thought of my wardrobe needing to be analyzed. “It’s just a friend's thing so I figured he wouldn’t care.”

“You figured he wouldn’t care?” Corrine said, snorting with a shake of her head. “We have half an hour before the store opens, come with me.” As soon as I closed the register and locked it, she was dragging me back to my apartment. 

“Corrine!” I cried as she started to pull my shirt off. “I am an adult and can dress myself, thank you.” I huffed as I managed to get my shirt off before hitting her with it. 

“You’re wearing a sports bra? Come on!” Corrine whined. “Why do you need to make this hard!?”

“Why are you so invested in me and Rhett hanging out tonight!?” I whined back.

“Because I want you to be happy and Rhett is a good guy,” she said with a sigh. “I may be happy to be fancy free and have friends with benefits with like three different people, but you are not. You want a companionship.”

“I do and I appreciate you wanting me happy, but Rhett is with someone else. We’re just friends, so please let it go,” I said, holding her hand.

“Alright,” she said. “But I still get to pick the outfit for tonight.”

“Fine you can pick the outfit for tonight,” I said, smiling as I rolled my eyes. She didn’t do a bad job either. It was more fancy than what I was used to wearing, but it would work. Shoving a regular wire bra at me, Corrine picked out a pair of high waisted, black leather pants and a black bustier top. My general wardrobe was a mix of gothic witch and 14 year old boy who wears gym clothes everywhere. I knew I had those clothes in there, I didn’t realize that they were an option. 

“Put these boots on and this shirt,” Corrine said, handing me a pair of thick heeled ankle boots and a red plaid shirt. I obeyed, fitting the clothes how I wanted. 

“Pick me out a jacket, it’s supposed to get cold tonight,” I said, sliding on a few bracelets and rings onto my fingers and arms. 

“It’ll be warm tonight, trust me,” Corrine said, waving off my request. 

“Then why did you give me leather pants?” I asked, grabbing my wide brim hat to plop on my head. 

“Not that warm,” she said with a snort. “Put on your dark maroon lipstick. The matte one.” 

“You know, I’m going to have to put on a full face of makeup,” I said, giving her a look.

“Yes, now get to work. I’ll open for us. Besides, Justice will be in today to help so you don’t have to worry about doing much around the store,” Corrine said as she grinned at me. 

“Okay, I’m not doing a full face of makeup this early in the day. I’ll do it later before the date. Work still has to be done and I can’t function if I have a lash falling off that I constantly have to reglue or else face becoming the one eyed crone,” I said. 

“I’ll make sure you start it early enough to take your time. Also, use your damn setting spray,” she said as we left my apartment to go back to the shop. I slid the flannel on, glad that it was picked as the shop was always a tad cold. Once it hit 9 AM, we opened shop for the day. With the full moon coming the next week, we were getting last minute shoppers that would come in spurts. I didn’t mind that as it gave me extra time to get caught up on filing all the bills and orders that we had. By the time 6 PM rolled around, I was banished to my apartment to do my makeup. 

In the time it took me to get up to the apartment from the store, the want to do a full face was gone. Instead, I pulled up a low level tutorial to avoid having to use the green stick on my eyes and then bake and contour. It was not worth it. I managed a fairly nice look without my face feeling like I had put spackle on it, as I usually tended to go heavy handed to fix things and suddenly I’d become a racoon. Putting on the lipstick that Corrine told me to, I also used the still nearly full setting spray I had bought nearly two months ago. Was it still safe? Who knows, but if I start swelling I’d know for sure. 

Once that was done, I rearranged myself in my clothes to be more comfortable before heading back downstairs. The store was empty and Justice, one of my employees was gone for the day. He worked part time while going to school online for Psychology and took care of his daughter. She was a cute kid in the 3rd grade and would come in sometimes. Her name was Lania and would hang out with me in the office while she did homework. 

“It’s almost time!” Corrine sang as she went about cleaning early. I smiled and shook my head, letting her get it out of her system. While I played it cool and collected, I was excited. I was going out to see a movie and hang out with someone not from the store. It was almost surreal because the bookstore was my life. Everything I did surrounded the bookstore. My friends I hung out with were employees for the bookstore. I’d plan outings around the bookstore and even make sure I was able to be there to open and close it no matter what. In the last year, I hadn’t taken a day off except for holidays and even then I lived above the bookstore. I was taking a step outside my comfort zone and I was excited about it. 

“He’s meeting me outside, so I’m still closing,” I said. 

“No, no, no, I will close,” she said coming over to me. “I’ve done most of the stuff, you have just the drawer left to count and enter numbers. I will do that. You trained me yourself, so you know I can do it. Give yourself a bit of a break to double check yourself and have a good time. Boyfriend or not, I don’t think Rhett is going to let you feel bored. If you get into anything illegal, text me pictures then I’ll come bail you out of jail.”

“Aw, you’d bail me out of jail?” I cooed. 

“Anything for you, doll,” she said, using her best Humphry Bogart impersonation. “Now go check yourself, he’ll be here any minute.” Corrine slapped my butt before walking away. I jerked a bit at the swat, but laughed as I moved to the bathroom. A bit of playing with my hair, making sure my necklaces weren’t tangled, my nose ring wasn’t askew, and double checking my lipstick took me enough time to have Corrine knocking on the door. “Rhett’s here,” she sang before leaving. What I thought was nerves turned into excitement as I left the bathroom. 

“Hi!” I said with a wave. Rhett looked so different in clothes that weren’t his usual grease and oil stained work shirt and jeans. In a pair of dark wash jeans, biker boots, a black tee, and a black bicker jacket, he had an early 2000’s vibe to him, but I dug it. 

“Hey yourself,” Rhett said with a smile. He looked me up and down with a raised brow before nodding. “You look real good.”

“Thanks,” I beamed. “You look just as good all cleaned up. Let me grab my wallet from the office and we can go.” I quickly walked to the back to grab my small tote bag with silver moons on it. I made sure I had my phone and wallet and keys in it as well as my usual crystals, plastic bags to put plants in if I find one I need or want, as well as a collapsible baton. While Belleplain was a small town and never really had much crime, we did have people come through and I didn’t trust the loose guards to keep out people who found ways around them. I walked back out in time to see Corrine behind Rhett give me a thumbs up before going back to sweeping. “All ready,” I said.

“Cool,” Rhett said with a smile. “The movie starts in a few hours, you wanna get some food before then?”

“Sure,” I said with a nod. “What did you have in mind?”

“You like Italian?” He asked as we walked to the door. 

“I love Italian. I can eat my weight in chicken tortellini,” I said. “I’m out, Cor! I’m locking the door behind me!” I called before shutting the door. I quickly locked it before following Rhett to his truck. It was a newer extended cab in silver with a tool box in the back. While he was probably able to get into the truck with ease, I was too short for it almost. I topped out at 5’4” without heels and 5’6” with my ankle boots on. That truck was going to be my Mount Everest and it wasn’t even jacked up. 

“Here, allow me,” Rhett said, opening the door for me before helping me into the cab. Thankfully he had an extended step I could use as well as him giving me a small boost. 

“Thanks,” I said before pulling the door shut as he moved around to the driver’s side. I buckled my belt after setting my bag on the floor. “Which Italian place were you thinking?” 

“I was thinking Vinny’s Place down the way,” Rhett said as he started the truck. 

“Oooo, I love their primavera,” I said.

“Glad you like it,” he said with a chuckle. “Link’s allergic to some of the spices they use and hates tomatoes, so I don’t get to go out for dinner there often.”

“Aw, well any time you wanna go eat Italian, I’m your gal,” I said with a smile. 

“I’ll remember that,” he said, smiling back. 

A quick drive towards the other side of town, we chit chatted along the way. We asked about each other’s day, how things were going for our jobs, things like that. Once we got to the restaurant, we were quickly seated and given garlic bread. A few moments of deciding and we both got chicken tortellini with some red wine. 

“So, I know we kind of talked last night, but we haven’t actually gotten to know each other,” Rhett said as he poured the wine into our glasses. “Which means, it’s grill time.”

“Oh no,” I groaned before laughing. “Okay, how about 20 questions? You ask then I ask, deal?”

“Deal,” Rhett nodded. “So, I’ve been in town a lot longer than you have. I know your grandmother ran the bookstore before and then left. Why’d you stay?”

“I wanted to,” I said. “I fell in love with the place and people, I didn’t really have another path available that I wanted to pursue, so I stayed. It was also my grandmother’s and it didn’t feel right selling it. So I stayed and I never looked back. What about you? I know you’ve lived here for about five or so years, what brought you here?”

“It was a decision me and Link made when the bigger cities got too crowded and dangerous for us,” Rhett said. “We had a place together but it was getting harder and harder on us to stay hidden with our schedules and having neighbors close by that could see into our loft. It was a stress reliever and we’re much happier with the choice. We’re both able to live a lot easier without the worry of being found out or getting in trouble.”

“Aww, that’s sweet. I’m glad you guys are doing better here,” I said, reaching across the table to give his hand a squeeze. A sign of encouragement. 

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” he said with a smile, squeezing my hand back. “What did you do before moving here?”

“Me? Hooo, don’t laugh, okay?” I said with a giggle. “I used to DJ parties and weddings.”

“Oh.” It was all he said, but his face told me he was barely holding back the laughter. “What got you into that?”

“Well, I was broke, had lost my job at a bookstore that had filed for bankruptcy, and needed money. A friend said he needed help with all the events he was booking and said he’d help me get started if I took some of the events and gave him half the payment,” I said with a snort.

“Ouch. How’d that end?” He asked with a wince.

“Well, I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing with that equipment and it lasted about two weeks. Then my Grandmother called thankfully so I was able to move back here,” I said. “Now that was several questions, sir. Which means I get to ask a few more before you get another turn.”

“What? No, that goes into one question. Follow up questions don’t count. I needed clarification,” Rhett said with a laugh.

“Okay, fine,” I said, narrowing my eyes playfully. “Favorite childhood memory.”

“Anytime I was running around the woods as a kid with my friends. We’d always meet up either after school or during the summer to go to our secret fort that we made. It was a shack really. None of us had any business trying to build a damn thing, but it was enough of a place for us to meet up at and start our shenanigans. We would meet up there till we were graduating high school too. No matter what, at least once a week we’d meet up there. Pretty sure it’s all rotted out now, but maybe the base is still there,” he said.

“That’s sweet,” I said with a smile, not even noticing we were still holding hands and his thumb was rubbing the back of my hand.

“What was your favorite childhood pastime?” He asked.

“Hmmm,” I said, bunching my mouth up in thought. “I would probably have to say being in the garden with my mom. She would always be planting something and I always wanted to help. Even when I accidentally dropped the plants, she wouldn’t get angry. She’d just tell me to be gentle and apologize to the plant so it could heal and grow up. I remember this specific moment, so vividly too. We were in the backyard and I was allowed a corner of it to myself to make into whatever I wanted. Well, I had dug a hole there. Not just like a little kid hole either, I was like five at the time. I dug a nearly two feet hole and filled it with water. 

The plan was to make a pond for fish. Instead I made a mud pit and when I realized that there was no way fish were even going to get in it because I had no way to procure the fish, I jumped into it. I sat in the mud pit for probably half an hour before my mom came out because I had been too quiet. In that time a plethora of frogs had joined me and when she started calling for me, the frogs and I started ribbiting at once and scared the crap out of her. She did get angry that time because I was filthy and it was only 11 AM so she hosed me down, but let me keep my frog pit.”

“Oh my gods,” Rhett said before laughing. “You are the frog queen!”

“Damn straight I am!” I said with a giggle. Before more questions were asked, our food arrived. We went silent except for a few moments of asking about the other’s food. The wine was gone, replaced with water, as we cleaned up our plates with the garlic bread. 

“Okay, one more question before we go to the movie,” Rhett said as we waited for the waitress to come by to ask for the checks.

“Right, it’s gotta be a good one,” I said, staring at him a moment. “How tall are you exactly.”

“I am 6’7”. How tall are you?” He asked with a wry smile. 

“5’4” without shoes, 5’6” with my boots on,” I said. 

“Hello everyone,” the waitress said, coming to the table with a tray to take our plates away. “Are we on one ticket today or split?”

“One,” Rhett said.

“Split,” I said.

“I got this, it’s okay,” Rhett said, pulling out his billfold.

“You sure? You got the tickets to the movie,” I asked, ready to dig into my tote for my wallet.

“I invited you out, it’s my treat,” Rhett said, giving the waitress a debit card. “You can buy me ice cream next time.”

“Deal,” I said, sitting back in my seat. The waitress was quick with the ticket, letting us get to the movie on time. The drive was short, but once we got there, the theater was almost packed. Seemed everyone had the same idea for a Saturday night.

“I’ll let you out and I’ll find a parking spot,” Rhett said. He stopped in front of the theater to let me out before driving to find a space. It was pretty warm out which was what Corrine had said, so I left my flannel in the truck. With just my wallet in hand, I walked around outfront as I waited. A few moments passed before I saw him jogging towards me from the back

“Hey, nice tits.” 

I had barely registered the comment, only catching the snickering as a small group of teens walked over to me. Oh gods, they were actually trying to be funny. 

“Didn’t you hear me? I said you had nice tits,” one said. He looked like he’d eaten chocolate ice cream and had left over on his upper lip. His hair was pushed down under a beanie while wearing too big a shirt and cargo shorts. The others were about the same with different variations. 

“I heard you,” I said, ignoring them for the most part. 

“Bet you got nipple rings,” another piped in, followed by more snickering. 

“Hey, got the truck parked,” Rhett said, coming over to drape an arm around my shoulder as he gave the kids the side eye.

“Good,” I said, giving him a smile before looking at the teens. “Boys, learn to behave like decent people. Especially to a witch.” A snap of my fingers and their shorts all dropped to reveal skid marked tighty whities. They all screamed and got pissy, but another snap and their shoe laces were tied together. Tripping over themselves as people turned and gasping, giggling behind hands. “Let’s go, I don’t want to miss the movie,” I said, wrapping my arm around Rhett’s middle to lead him away. 

“I was gonna ask if they were giving you trouble, but it seems you can take care of yourself,” Rhett said with a chuckle. 

“It was a small trick I learned from my mom. Besides, they’re teens. I only get trouble like that from kids usually. Even then it’s not that common here,” I said as Rhett gave our tickets to the person in the booth.

“Well, I’m impressed. The coolest trick I know is whistling with a piece of grass,” Rhett said, making me laugh as I walked with him to the theater our movie was in. The theater itself was much cooler than outside, enough so I wished I had brought my flannel, but I would get through it. Getting our seats, we sat down to wait for the trailers to play. It was maybe five till so we didn’t have long to wait at least. We were in the very back row of the theater and directly in the middle. The perfect seats for us really. As the lights started to dim down, I rubbed my arms a bit, feeling the goosebumps popping up. I was really wishing I had brought my flannel. When I shifted in my seat to lean more against Rhett, I elbowed him in the arm.

“Sorry about that,” I whispered as the trailers played.

“You’re fine. You cold?” He asked.

“A little,” I said, making a pinching motion with my hand. He nodded before standing up to slide his jacket off, placing it around my shoulders before sitting back down. “Thanks,” I said, moving the press against him still. Wrapping an arm around me, we settled in for the movie. It was a jump scare fest. A serial killer on the loose that promised to bring revenge upon a town who wronged him while jumping from TV to TV to drag people into another world and kill them. It was actually pretty good with the effects and basic story. Especially when it used blank TV screens as mirrors to show the serial killer when no one else could see him. Made me glad I didn’t have a TV. 

There were points where I laughed, because no matter what, there’s always a comedic timing with deaths in most horror movies. There were also points where I jumped and screamed, grabbing onto Rhett because of a jump scare and him suddenly grabbing my leg to tease me. The movie was really good and I was tempted to come back to see it again with Corinne. She didn’t like scary movies, so this was a movie that would test our friendship. 

Soon we were filing out from the theater as Rhett gave me a hard time about jumping and grabbing him. 

“Oh Rhett, I’m scared, please save me,” Rhett said, putting on a falsetto to mock me. “I’m so scared I can’t tell the difference between the movie and your hand.”

“You’re gonna hold onto that, aren’t you?” I asked, sighing heavily as we walked outside. 

“For a very long time,” he said with a grin. We walked back to the truck, arm in arm. I was ready to call it a night seeing as we had done everything we’d set out to do. Part of me didn’t want it to end though. At the truck, Rhett helped me back in, before getting in himself. I expected him to start it up right away, but he didn’t. “I had a really good time tonight, Ro,” he said.

“I did too, Rhett,” I said, smiling at him. “I really needed to get out of the house and this was the perfect thing for it.”

“I’m glad you had a good time. You think you’d be up for doing it again sometime soon?” He asked.

“Of course,” I said. “I love hanging out with you. Honestly, I’m kinda disappointed the night’s already coming to an end.”

“It doesn’t have to if we don’t want it to,” Rhett said, raising a brow with a grin.

“What’d you have in mind?” I asked.

“You ever been backroading?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get two chapters for the first post cause honestly, the first chapter is kinda filler and it didn't really mesh with combining it with the second chapter, but hey! intrigue! Yeah!? Yeah?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett and Rowan go backroading, but it doesn't exactly go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is mild self harm in this, but it's not from a mental illness stand point. Just wanted to give ya'll a warning. It's not graphic either, I try not to make things gory in general. BUT there's the warning! Proceed!

I had grown up in a small town near Belleplain. That didn’t mean I was used to country living. I lived in town near the square with my mom. My grandmother lived in Belleplain, a short drive away. So, while I had been used to small town life, I didn’t really partake in the hobbies of others my age. Backroading, fishing, hunting, camping, it wasn’t very familiar to me. I would camp in my backyard when I was little, but that was it. Mostly because my mom didn’t like letting me sleep somewhere without wards. Later in life I figured it out it was because she was worried my father would come and try to take me. It wasn’t until highschool that I was able to actually hang out with friends over night. I still didn’t do any of the hobbies they did though, too wrapped up in being outside my own bubble.

When Rhett asked if I had been backroading before and I said no, I didn’t realize what the big grin on his face meant. Songs of going fishing in the dark or bon fires with whiskey shots on the back of a pick up came to mind, but it still wasn’t too clear as we left the theater parking lot. “So, are you going to tell me what it is?” I asked as we turned onto the main strip of road through town to head south.

“Backroading is driving around back roads while talking and carryin’ on,” Rhett said with a chuckle. “Since we didn’t finish our 20 question game earlier, figured we could keep going while seeing the sights outside of town a bit.”

“Alright,” I said with a smile. Buckled up, I still had his jacket on while we drove. “I believe it was your turn for a question.”

“Right,” Rhett said, turning onto the highway to take us out of town. “Hmmmm, we’re gonna get deep here,” he said. “What’s the biggest disappointment you can remember? It can be in school, family, friends, anything.”

“Oh jeez, that is deep,” I said. “I gotta think on that one.” It took me a few moments before finding one I was willing to share. “When I was 16, my mom had a strict no dating rule. She said I couldn’t have a boyfriend till I was 17 and even then it would be strict rules. Well when I was 15, I got a girlfriend. I didn’t try to hide it from my mom either because I was 15 and thought it was a loophole. I didn’t have a boyfriend and she didn’t say anything about girlfriends. The thing was I genuinely liked this girl and we’d hang out at my house all the time. When my mom finally figured out we were romantic, by me kissing my girlfriend in front of her, she said ‘Honey, that’s not real love. You’re just using her to get around the rule.’”

“Wow,” Rhett said with a wince. 

“Yeah. I was hurt and super disappointed because I was getting around the rule, but I really did care for her. My mom apologized later after a few days and we talked it out, but it was still stuck with me,” I said, moving in my seat to face Rhett as he drove. “I ended up dating that girl for almost two years, but we broke up just because she moved away. I found her online about five years after graduation. She had a wife and two kids. I was with my boyfriend at the time, but I was still happy for her. She was one of my best friends.”

“Do you two still talk?” Rhett asked as he pulled off the main highway to a single lane back road. 

“Not really. We both have moved on with our lives that it’s just become this kinda first love thing that we both appreciate but don’t dwell on. One of the only good relationships I’ve ever had,” I said with a snort. “My turn. Biggest irrational fear?”

“Wait, irrational fear?” Rhett asked.

“Yeah, like I do not do rabbits. I don’t like them, they’re weird, they breath too fast, it’s not a good time for me,” I said with a laugh.

“Rabbits? Really?” Rhett said with a snicker. “Oh, well I’d have to say ants. I hate the feeling of them on my skin. It makes me itchy and even talking about it makes me antsy.” He began to shift in his seat, wriggling a bit. 

“Oh no,” I laughed, leaning over to scratch his neck and shoulders. “Better?” 

“Yes,” he said with a shy smile. In the dark it was hard to tell, but I swore I could see a bit of red in his cheeks. “Favorite movie?”

“I would have to say, well it’s kinda a movie and a play, Midsummer Night’s Dream,” I said. “I loved the play originally and the movie from the late 90’s was amazing. I could put it on and watch it at any time.”

“Is that a Shakespear play?” Rhett asked. 

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “It has fairies and mischief and silly love plots that all end up happy in the end.”

“I can see the appeal of that, especially if you keep trying to find that happy ending,” he said with a nod.

“Gotta keep trying otherwise you won’t ever find it,” I said with a hum. “Okay, let me think of a good one for you.” I looked out at the road in thought, wondering what I should ask. He’d been asking good questions, I needed to up my game. “Alright, what is your favorite meal to make in the fall?”

“My favorite meal to make in the fall? You assume too much,” Rhett said with a snort. “I’m not much of a cook, but I do make a mean chili. Link loves it, he adds all sorts of stuff to it. I like it with just a little bit of cheddar cheese and maybe add some bacon into it.”

“Chili and potato soup are my go to meals in the fall. You’ll have to cook a batch sometime and invite me over before Link eats it all,” I said. 

“I will definitely keep that in mind. Fall’s just a few months away. Kind of,” he said with a chuckle. A side effect of the wards around town to keep the peace meant weather was not that predictable. It usually stayed within the usual parameters of the seasons, such as blazing hot in July but no snow, but it could vary from storming one day to cutting off immediately at midnight to being a sunny spring day the next morning. 

I was about to tell him it was his turn after we had fallen silent for a moment, but I paused when I saw a frown on his face. 

“What is it?” I asked, noticing he was slowing down to stop. 

“It’s the bridge, thought it was fixed,” he said, nodding to our front. I turned to look ahead and saw the bridge we had come to was broken. It usually had boards in place to cross one car at a time, but the boards were broken or missing. 

“What happened?” I asked as he stopped the car to put it in park. 

“No idea. We’re out of town limits and we haven’t had any bad storms lately so unless the county decided to tear it down, there’s no telling what happened,” Rhett said. 

“Should we get out and check?” I suggested, looking from the bridge to him. 

“We should just report it. Get someone out here to fix it or put up a block of sorts so people don’t crash,” Rhett said as he pulled out his phone. He looked up the Sheriff’s number to call before dialing while I sat back and looked at the bridge a moment before deciding to get out. “Ro, wait,” he called as I hopped out of the truck. I left the door open as I walked out into the beams of the headlights to get a closer look. The longer I looked, the more I saw that the boards were snapped. It was like someone had taken a crowbar to lift the planks then broke them in two. I pulled my phone from Rhett’s jacket pocket to show a light as I got closer, seeing bent and twisted metal supports. “Ro! Wait up!” Rhett called as he jogged over.

“I don’t think this happened naturally,” I said. 

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“I mean, this wasn’t a storm or the bridge just falling apart or even a wrecking crew. Something did this to the bridge,” I said, walking to the edge to crouch down. “Look at the supports and the rails. They’re bent like someone pulled them down and snapped them.”

“Hey, be careful. Don’t get too close,” Rhett said as he pulled me up. “It looks like it could topple any moment.”

“Did you call our sheriff or the county sheriff?” I asked as I moved to look at the other side, from a safer distance this time instead of right at the edge.

“Called ours. It feels too weird and smells too weird to be average Joe problems,” Rhett said. 

“Smells?” I asked, looking at him.

“You don’t smell that? It’s like old water pipes or bad eggs,” he said, scrunching up his nose. 

“You mean sulfur?” I asked, raising a brow. I hadn’t smelt anything besides the outside till he mentioned it. Taking a big whiff, I caught a faint smell of it. “The smell of death which it calls, the creature of the fire falls. Twisted in pain and envy lo, e’ry man shall fear them all.”

“What? Is that a poem or a spell or something?” Rhett asked. 

“We need to get the sheriff out here, now,” I said, backing up. My chest was getting tight as I remembered the poem my grandmother had taught me. While my mother taught me green magic, live things, my grandmother made sure I knew what was in the dark.

“What are you talking about, Ro? He said he’d be here in an hour or so,” Rhett said. “What’s wrong? You’re pale as a sheet and shakin’.” He grabbed my hand to help still it as I stared at the bridge wide eyed. “Talk to me, Rowan.”

“You need to call him back and tell him to hurry,” I said, turning to look at him. I was about to explain when I saw his eyes weren’t on me, they were focused behind me. His grip tightened as I heard snorting and pawing at the ground, the smell of sulfur getting so puget that I was sure I was going to be sick. “Rhett,” I said softly.

“When I say run, you sprint to the truck, got it?” He said softly. I nodded slightly, tensing up to push off from where we stood almost five yards from the truck. “Run,” he hissed, taking off while still gripping my hand. It felt more like he was dragging me than that I was running with him. His long legs flew through the air as mine nearly lifted through the air. There was a great roar behind us, shaking the ground as we scrambled into the cab of the truck.

Rhett didn’t even let me go to my side, he just hoisted me in through the driver’s side and over the console. I didn’t have time to figure out how he did that so easily, I wasn’t exactly a stick, but it wasn’t the time or place. We slammed our doors shut as this creature stomped into the road. The legs of a matted, dirty goat that was slowly rotting, the torso of a man that was starving enough to claw his own flesh to get any sustenance, and the head of a ram with sucken, rotted eyes and horns twisting tightly while the jaw held sharp, gnashing teeth. 

It was a demon, The Goatman. 

“Drive!” I screamed as I jerked my bag to my lap, digging to find my dry erase marker. Rhett threw the truck into reverse then hit the gas. “Shit, where is it!?” I cried, not finding the marker anywhere. I swore I had packed it, I always did. 

“Where’s what!?” Rhett cried as The Goatman began to charge us. I cursed under my breath as I found my switchblade.

“No matter what, just keep driving,” I said.

“No, I think he wants to chat!” Rhett snapped. The road we were on was long and winding, meaning we could be chased for miles before help arrived. Demons were not the fallen angels that most humans believed. They were old, made with the earth and only served the primal needs of keeping territory, eating, and mating. There was no befriending them, controlling them, using them. They were the most dangerous creatures and they were my worst nightmare. 

After pulling off Rhett’s jacket, I took a deep breath with my blade in hand before slicing into the back of my left arm. It would bleed a lot, but not enough to put me in any real danger. I hoped. Once I was bleeding, I dipped my fingers into it and started drawing a repulsion spell on my door window. A basic, but powerful spell of protection. I could have used a marker and it would have worked fine, but without one, I only had blood and that was a much more powerful medium. 

“Rowan! What are you doing!?” Rhett yelled as The Goatman roared. Rhett turned us around and began to speed down the road. His phone was out and calling the sheriff, but my actions caught his attention instead.

“Hello, this is Sheriff Longmere’s office,” an elderly voice said over the phone speaker, their tone slow and muffled.

“Like I said, just keep driving,” I said through gritted teeth, pushing on my arm for more blood. I wasn’t finished and I needed more. The spell wouldn’t work without a solid hand print. 

“This is Rhett McLaughlin! I just called about the bridge, we need help out here, now!” Rhett yelled as the ground shook with the demon’s distance between him and us decreasing.

Taking my knife, I sucked in a breath before cutting my arm deeper. “Shit,” I gasped as I stopped, spreading it over my good hand. Muttering the Nordic spell under my breath, trying to stay centered despite the pain in my arm and fear in my chest, I pressed my bloodied hand to the window to complete the spell. 

A flash of white electricity surrounded us, bouncing The Goatman back just as he jumped to land on us. He roared again, giving chase, but was propelled back further after that attack.

“I’m sorry what was your name again, dear?” The elderly voice asked again. 

“Demon!” I yelled over the speaker. “Just called about a bridge, there’s a demon there!”

“A demon? We haven’t had any encounters with those for 50 years,” the voice said with a sigh.

“It’s the fucking Goatman you nunce! Get the Sheriff out here now before he leaves to another bridge and we have casualties!” I yelled, picking up my flannel to wrap around my arm tightly. 

“Oh alright, I’ll tell him,” the voice said before hanging up. 

“I swear to gods if I find out who that walnut is,” I growled. Resting back against the seat, I watched the mirrors to see the demon actually stop chasing us. The sulfur smell began to fade, but lingered on our clothing, not letting us forget him too soon. 

“Ro, talk to me,” Rhett said as he nearly ran the stop sign at the highway back to town. He parked the truck before turning on the cab light. “Shit,” he hissed, seeing my blood soaked flannel. “We need to get you to the hospital, now.”

“No, it’s fine,” I said. “I’ve got stuff to patch it at home.”

“Absolutely not, you’re gonna need stitches if not surgery to fix that,” Rhett said, taking his shirt off to wrap around my arm to help. The flannel was just barely holding more blood and I was near passing out. I didn’t have much of a choice really. “I need you to stay awake alright? Keep talking to me.” Putting the truck in drive, he flew down the highway.

“Talking to you? It’s a bit weird to keep playing 20 questions don’t you think?” I asked with a snort. 

“Never a bad time for 20 questions,” Rhett said. “Now, tell me about anything. Your favorite cereal, music, color, a funny story from last week even.”

“That’s a lot of questions, so I’m gonna hold you to answering mine,” I said, letting my head rest against the window. 

“I’ll answer any and all questions, I don’t mind one bit, Ro,” he said, flashing me a smile under the cab light. “Just keep talking.”

“My favorite cereal is this one with corn flakes and chocolate bits. Those are real good, no matter what time of day,” I said. “I kinda want some right now actually.”

“You stay awake and I’ll buy the whole damn store out of that cereal,” Rhett said. “Favorite color?”

“My favorite color is probably a tealish green,” I said, trying to keep my grip on my arm tight despite the pain. “Like an imaginary plant or something from a kid’s book that algae might be.”

“Good job,” Rhett said. “We’re almost there, just another few minutes.”

“I think my favorite music is anything Celine Dion. That woman knows how to put on a show,” I said, giggling a bit. “Gods, I feel like shit.” My stomach was turning and I wanted to throw up, but I hated throwing up. Especially in front of other people. 

“I know, baby girl,” Rhett said. “Just hang in there. Almost there.” Had I been in the right state of mind, I would have realized how crazy we looked as Rhett sped into the parking lot of the hospital in town. It was a small one, no one really stayed too long, but they didn’t usually have people parking on the curb to then run in shirtless while covered in the blood of the girl they were carrying. I was kind of aware of things happening as Rhett brought me in. Nurses jumped into action and I was taken to a room where they assessed me. Under the bright lights and with the shirts taken off, my arm looked not right. 

I took one look at it and immediately threw up. Thankfully, some blessed nurse caught it before I got it on myself and the floor. They cleaned the wound, which ended up being nearly the whole length of my forearm. I stared in horror before Rhett forced me to look away. 

“That’s not something you wanna focus on,” he said, sitting on my right side to hold my hand. 

“Never let me do that again. Make me carry markers everywhere,” I said, looking at him as I felt the doctor and nurse working on my arm. While I couldn’t feel the process, I could feel my arm being treated and it was very disconcerting. 

“I will make sure there’s markers all around you,” Rhett chuckled, kissing my hand to keep me distracted. It was nice. His lips were soft and warm while his facial hair tickled my skin. It was reassuring that I wasn’t bleeding out into a coma or something. “But, you owe me a new shirt.”

“I’ll buy you 20 new shirts so long as I get markers,” I said with a small chuckle. 

“You guys are a cute couple,” the nurse who caught my vomit said with a smile. 

“Oh, no, he’s just a friend,” I said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love me some GOATMAN!

**Author's Note:**

> The Pack is going on a mini hiatus, mostly because I don't want to get burnt out on it as I try to figure out what else I can do. So have with these guys! Please enjoy and I'll update this one daily. It's gonna be a bit, well quite a bit, longer than the one shots for The Pack.


End file.
